**United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**  **Plant Protection and Quarantine**


## Commodity Import Evaluation Document **(CIED) Recognition of**  **M ango**  **P roduction**  **S ites**  **T hat are**  **F ree of**  **M ango**  **S eed**  **W eevil,**  **Sternochetus man**  **giferae and**  **M ango**  **P ulp**  **W eevil,**  **Sternochetus frigidus**  **in the**  **Philippines. Country of**  **o rigin**  : Philippines **Date of r**  **equest** : 2006 **Commodity:** Mango **Scientific name:** Mangifera indica L. **Intr oduction**  **:** Man goes from the island of Guimaras in the Philippines have been exported to the United States since 2001. This market access followed an extensive survey conducted by

Philippines in 1994, using a protocol developed by USDA. Th e 1994 survey

revealed the absen ce of the Mango Seed Weevil (MSW), Sternochetus mangiferae (Fabricius) and Mango Pulp Weevil (MPW), Sternochetus frigidus ( Fabricius ) on the island of Guimaras, and the island was certified as being free from the two weevils. In 2006, Philippines initiated a survey in all mango growing areas of the country to detect the presence/absence of MSW and MPW. The survey protocol was approved b y USDA as per International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC ) International Standards for Ph yt osanitary Measures ( IS PM ) 4 (IPPC, 1996) . This national survey was conducted from 2006 through 2009, in 16 regions and 79 mango growing provinces. A nationwide low monitoring survey that identified high and low risk areas , based on set criteria , was initiated in 2010 and continued through 2011 . This survey will be continued on a ye arl y basis . The results of these survey s were sent to APHI S following which APHI S conducted a site visit to confirm the results. The results of the survey s confirm that most of the Philippines are free of these weevils, except for the island of Palawan where onl y the MPW is present

. Biosecurity Australia in a notification dated August 13, 2010, (Biosecurity , 2010), has also permitted the extension of its existing policy by including the importation of man go fruit from the Philippines with the inclusion of the province of Davao del Sur, Mindanao Island. **Current Requirements for mango exports to the United States:** APHI S currentl y requires the following measures for the importation of m angos from Philippine s to ensure phytosanitary security.2

**(a) Limitation of origin.** The mangoes must have been grown on the island of Guimaras, which the Administrator has determined meets the criteria set forth in 7 CFR § 319.56

- 5 with regard to the mango seed weevil (Sterno chetus mangiferae ). Mangoes from all other areas of the Philippines except Palawan are eligible for importation into Hawaii and Guam only . Mangoes from Palawan are not eligible for importation into the United States. **(b) Treatment.** The mangoes must be tre ated for fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera with vapor heat under the supervision of an inspector in accordance with the regulations in 7 CFR § 305.8. **(c) Inspection.** Mangoes from the Philippines are subject to inspection under the direction of an inspec tor, either in the Philippines or at the port of first arrival in the United States. Mangoes inspected in the Philippines are subject to reinspection at the port of first arrival in the United States as provided in 7 CFR § 319.56

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. **(d) Labeling.** Each box of mangoes must be clearly labeled in accordance with 7 CFR § 319.56

- 5(e)(1) . Consignments originating from approved areas other than Guimaras must be labeled “For distribution in Guam and Hawaii only .” **(e) Phytosanitary certificate.** Mangoes originating from all approved areas must be accompanied b y a ph yt osanitary certificate issued by

the Republic of the Philippines , Department of Agriculture that contains an additional declaration stating that the mangoes have been treated for fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section. Phy tosanitary certificates accompanying consignments of mangoes originating from the island of Guimaras must also contain an additional declaration stating that the mangoes were grown on the island of Guimaras. **(f) Trust fund agreement.** Mangoes that are treated or inspected in the Philippines may be imported into the United States only if the Republic of the Philippines Department of Agriculture has entered into a trust fund agreement with APHI S in accordance with 7 CFR § 319.56

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. **Expansion of areas free of**  **Mango Seed Weevil and Mango Pulp Weevil**  **in the**  **Philippines:** In2006, the Philippine National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO ) proposed a large survey

to determine if additional mango pro duction areas (other than the island of Guimaras) are infested with Sternochaetus spp. The survey was designed to be a three

- ye ar survey

and targeted a different island each year. As per the documentation provided b y Philippines (BPI, 2009), during the sur vey a total of 2.6 million mango fruits were dissected and no weevils of either species were found. The data from the survey covered the main mango growing areas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao , which cover 16 regions and 79 mango provinces except Palawan , where the MPW is present . Philippines has also initiated a low monitoring survey from March 2010 , and this is an ongoing survey to confirm and verify

the validity

of the pest free status in mango areas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. **Confirmation of weevi l free areas:**  A site visit was conducted by APHIS personnel in November 2011 to:3

1. Examine , by visits to sampling sites in m ango orchards , to assess evidence of the absence of the M SW and M PW in different locations throughout the Philippines. 2. Verif y and assess conditions at land and sea entry points and internal check points enforcing the quarantine regulations that prevent movement of m ango fruit

. 3. V isit vapor heat treatment facilities in mango growing regions of Philippines. The following infor

mation was gathered during the site visit (USDA, 2011) :

 Most of the islands which are a ccessible by sea only , have plant quarantine ( PQ ) personnel to meet the passengers at the pier and there is an obligatory baggage check to prevent entry

of mango fruit and mango propagative material.

 In Mindanao, a mandatory road checkpoint is manned with PQ officials and soldiers to enforce the ban on mangoes and mango planting materials being brought in to the province of Davao del sur. Signs in English direct the publ ic to stop all vehicles for mandatory inspection.

 Guimaras Island, off Iloilo city , which currently is the only

island allowed to ship mangoes to the United States, has very restrictive entry

requirements for passengers with prominent signs prohibiting man gos, seeds and planting materials from entering the island.

 In ports considered as a high risk based on their proximity to MPW

- infeste d areas (Palawan) and the large volume movement of agricultural commodities and travelers at sea or airports, mandatory ba ggage inspection by

X

- ray is conducted.

 The Bureau of Plant Industry , Plant Quarantine Order No. 20 placed the island province of Palawan under quarantine from 1987 up to the present , preventing the movement of mango fruits and other parts from Palawan due to the presence of the Mango pulp weevil

. The m ango growing areas surveyed in the Philippines in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (except Palawan) meet all APHI S requirements for re cognition of a pest free area for the M SW , Sternochetus mangiferae and M PW , Sternochetus frigidus

. Palawan meets the requirements for recognition of a pest

- free area for the MSW, but not the MPW. **Summary :**  Based on review of the survey data, other information and the findings of the November 2011 site visit APHI S has concluded that mango growing areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in Philippines are free of M S W 

### and MPW , and that the mango growing areas in Palawan are free of the MSW

. Further, based on the findings of the site visit and the mitigation measures currently in place, we propose to include the following additional areas in Philippines under the streamlined importation process , 7 CFR 319.5 that APHI S has recognized free from M SW , Sternochetus mangiferae and M PW , Sternochetus frigidus mango growing areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. We also propose to recognize Palawan as free of MSW. This change will allow the importation of fresh mangos from the additional m ango weevils p est f ree areas in Philippines after treatment4

for fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera and, in the ca se of Palawan, treatment for the MP W

. **References:** 1. IPPC. 1996. I SPM 4. Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas. FAO, Rome. 16 pp. 2. Biosecurity, 2010. http://www.daff.gov.au/ba/ira/final

- plant/mangoes

phillippines/baa_2010

- 23_extension_of_ policy

- 25k

- [ html ]

- Accessed June 2012. 3. BP I, 2009. National Survey of the Mango Seed Weevil and Mango Pulp Weevil in the Philippines, pp 44. 

### 4. USDA, APHI S, PPQ, 2011

. Philippines Trip Report

. 6 pp. **Recommendations :**  Include the following additional areas in Philippines under the streamlined importation process , 7 CFR § 319. 5 that APHI S has recognized free from M SW , Sternochetus mangiferae and M PW , Sternochetus frigidus : mango growing areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. In clude the following area a s an area that APHIS has recognized free from MSW only : Palawan.

________________________________________________________________________ 

### ___ APPROVED
**_____ DISAPPROVED**

____Devaiah A. Muruvanda____________ __October 4, 2012_______ **Signature (name) Date**